On a clean copy of your planning sheet, complete the following sections using the situation of the prospect you described as your GROW case study. Make sure you save this planning sheet when you've completed these sections. We'll continue to use it throughout our GROW training.
1) Introduction: How will you introduce your call or visit?
Great relationships are based on context, picking up where you left off in previous conversations or interactions. Even if this is your initial inquiry, your community has connected with your prospective resident in some way already through a mailer, ad, etc. They are responding to something they have seen and you are responding to their inquiry. Productive phone calls are based on purpose, having a reason (other than checking in) to call and to talk. Complete this section of your planning sheet by stating that purpose and context.
Example: Hello, Mrs. Jones. This is Deborah from Sage Age Strategies. I saw that you inquired about our community online this morning. I'm calling you back to learn a little more about what you're looking for.
2) Permission: How will you ask permission to ask your chosen questions?
This section of your planning sheet may seem silly, but the effect of having this question built into your phone is HUGE. In watching role plays and live sales appointments and calls across the country and over time, I've noticed this--the permission question is for us, not for the prospective resident, and it has the power to change our conversations from non-purposeful and meandering, to intentional, productive, and highly effective. This simple question, that you can reuse for every single call, is what sets the agenda for the call or the appointment. It communicates clearly to both you and the prospective family, that questions you prepared are important. It keeps the conversation from getting off track and it keeps us (the sales professionals) from giving into our worst tendencies--to start feature dumping, to turn the conversation to the future and to us. This simple question helps you uncover the full reality of their current situation and gives them legitimacy and space to process it.
Example: Mrs. Jones, whenever I talk with someone new, I always like to make sure I ask them the same questions about their situation. I have about 5 of them. I've just found they are essential to me understanding fully how I can help guide you from here. Do you mind if I ask you those now?
3) Discovery questions:
On your planning sheet, add the five circumstance questions you liked best from the exercise in GROW Connection.
Hint: If you're already past this early stage with your case study prospective resident, complete these steps as an example of where you've already been, or as an example of how you would change your approach to that first interaction now.